


The Smell of the Ice

by ourownstrings



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Banter, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Girl Direction, Hockey, Ice Skating, antagonists to fondness, minor mention of an injury, not long enough to be enemies to lovers, the romance of winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27997917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourownstrings/pseuds/ourownstrings
Summary: Louis had loved the smell of the ice since she was little. Since the bottom of her driveway froze into a pond and she learned to skate by leaning on an old lawn chair – the enamel paint mixing with the ice shavings. She loved it up to the moment when the smell of ice was replaced by antiseptic and a doctor telling her to forget that hockey career. Until she’s offered an unlikely chance – cross training a figure skater who is trying to get back into the sport. If only Harry wasn’t such an ice queen.Inspired by The Cutting Edge. Written for the Girl Direction Winter Fic Fest 2020.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 19
Collections: Girl Direction Winter Fic Fest





	The Smell of the Ice

Louis leaned her elbows on the wood-topped bar. She’d somehow managed to arrive before Niall. Neither of them were exactly known for their punctuality. Scrolling through Instagram hadn’t distracted her from the gnawing feeling about tomorrow’s practice. She’d taken the job initially to get back in shape after her injury. The longer she sat alone at this bar, the more she replayed the conversation with her doctor: _ “I’m sorry but you need to accept that this degree of loss in your peripheral vision is the end of your hockey career. But for an average person, this amount of vision loss is insignificant.” _

Average person. Everything up until that moment had been focused on hockey. Everyone said that it was time to find something new to focus on. Instead, she’d taken a job training with a figure skater. She figured if someone was going to pay her to skate, it was worth it no matter what the type of skating was. She thought maybe, when the next round of tryouts came around, Niall could pull some strings to get the coach to give her one more shot. She hadn’t expected that she’d actually enjoy the challenge of figure skating. She hadn’t expected she’d be watching old Olympic routines like she used to pore over game tapes.

If only she could get anything to click with Harry. At least it wasn’t as bad as the beginning, when Harry had told her, “you’re a waste of good ice.”

When Louis heard that, she’d taken it as a challenge. When Harry said something about hockey players having bad posture, it just egged Louis on. But as the weather outside started to match the temperature in the rink, the jabs lessened or at least felt less like an insult and more like banter. Still, once they got off the ice, Harry had her headphones on and was out the locker room door.

“Did you get hit in the head again?” Niall nudged her shoulder.

“What?”

“I said your name like three times. You daydreaming about your triple axels or whatever?”

“Shut up, Horan.” Louis nudged her best friend back. “I was forced to daydream. I’d literally gone through every new post on my Instagram feed, you’re so late.

“I know.” Niall turned away to gesture to the bartender. “Can we have two of the Castle Island that’s on tap?”

“How was practice?” Lou was invested in this latest attempt at a professional team in Boston even if the coach wouldn’t give her the time of day.

“Coach Payne is living up to her fucking name. She literally told us not to bring a stick onto the ice because we need to be in shape before we touch a puck. That’s why I was late. I don’t think I’ve done that many ladder sprints since varsity tryouts in high school”

“What about that time we lost in overtime to Toronto and Coach had us sprint until Mendes passed out?”

“Ah, I may have blocked that out, it was so traumatic.” Niall sipped her beer and then paused for a moment, studying Louis. “So what were you actually thinking about?

“I was just trying to come up with a practice plan for tomorrow.”

“I thought that guy Anton came up with plans and you’re just some body for hire.”

“It’s just me and Harry tomorrow. The rink is closed, so I’m just gonna run a good old pond hockey practice.”

“That sounds great except you know there is no puck in figure skating right?” Niall grinned, even though it had to be the hundredth time she’d made that joke.

“You know what I mean. I was just going to run some drills at the pond. Except now, I’m panicking. I think she’s finally warmed up to me on the ice but I don’t think she’s said more than a couple sentences to me off the ice.”

“So what? Just run some agility drills. That’s what you’re getting paid for and you could do it in your sleep”

“It’s just…I don't even think she likes to skate. And I thought being out there, it could break up the routine. Maybe remind her of what she loves.”

“Maybe she doesn’t love it.”

“What?”

“It’s just. Not everyone is like us, Lou. Maybe this is just something people expect of her and she doesn’t love it.”

“No one gets that upset over something they don’t love. Even if they don’t know it. Don’t remember.”

Niall threw an arm over her shoulder. “Aww, Louis Tomlinson, all those self deprecating remarks and wry smiles but under that sarcastic shell beats the heart of a true romantic.”

“Yes, I shall write epic love songs about the smell of the ice. My true love.”

“You never know Lou, there might be room in there for another actual human love.”

  


****

Louis got to the pond early. It was just a neighborhood spot on the outskirts of town. The quality of the ice dependent on how much spare time the assortment of people who maintained it had in that given week. The weather had been cold so the ice was relatively smooth. The goals on the other hand were both on the same side of the pond – probably some kid had invented a game that required dragging them together. 

“Jesus,” Louis wheezed to herself. She’d either lost some upper body strength or these 2x4s were reinforced with cement.

“Uh, what are you doing?”

“Shit.” Louis yelped as she felt her feet go out from under her. The only saving grace was not hitting her face on the makeshift goal. She pulled herself up, brushing her hands on her sweatpants, “Someone made this impossible to move.”

“It’s just a couple of boards.”

Harry looked like an updated image from a classic winter postcard. A powder blue puffy jacket matched a skating skirt worn over complementary plaid leggings. White gloves with lace cuffs and a beanie in the colors of the bisexual flag that should clash stylistically but Harry managed to make it all look like one seamless look. Not that Louis knew that much about fashion but she knew Harry looked damn good. The short skirt and leggings somehow made Harry’s legs seem even longer than usual. And, usually, Louis tried her best not to think about Harry’s legs. This was work after all. Or at least skating. Unlike Niall, Louis had never slept with anyone on the same hockey team. Or whatever the figure skating equivalent would be.

“Really? You move it then! In fact, it’s strength training.”

“Oh, thanks coach.” Harry smirked. “What is this Crossfit?” And then she proceeded to push the goal to the opposite end of the ice as Louis pondered her plan.

“Done!” She twirled around triumphant.

“Don’t get too confident. That wasn’t even part of the workout.”

“Alright, show me what you got, Coach Tomlinson.”

Louis clapped her hands together in a gesture reminiscent of every coach she’d had since Pee Wee hockey. “Agility drills.”

For the next twenty minutes, they got increasingly competitive. Daring each other to beat their time and moving orange cones around to add an extra element of difficulty. Louis had missed this. Up until now, working out with Harry had been about playing catch up. Learning to skate in a completely new way was a thrilling challenge but an individual one… with a high risk of looking like an absolute fool. If Louis was going to risk looking like a fool, she wanted to at least feel like there was a chance at winning something.

They finally stopped for some water, sitting on the bench silently for a moment. The cold bit at Louis’ face while she fought the urge to take her coat off. The dueling temperatures of the December air and the heat from her body. These were the times that she loved living in Massachusetts. Snow clung to the bare branches bracketing the edge of the pond and, if Harry looked like a postcard, the location contributed to the feeling.

As if Harry could hear Louis’ ruminations, she said, “How’d you pick this spot?”

“Me and my best friend, Niall, spent hours on this pond. We’d get up at the crack of dawn for practice at the rink and then we’d go back to one of our houses and half-watch cartoons and half-nap. And then we’d go back out and practice for hours. Sometimes, we could get a whole game going with other neighborhood kids and sometimes it was just the two of us running drills.”

“Hmm.”

“I mean you might not know, you probably got all the premium ice time.” They’d been having such a nice time but Louis realized her jabs at Harry had become a reflex. Like knowing how to brace yourself before a fall.

“I wasn’t always good, you know.”

“Huh?” Louis stopped as she was about to launch into a ramble about the injustice of rink pricing.

Harry was quiet for a long moment but Louis felt a longer response building.“I was kind of of a late bloomer. It took me a while to grow into my height. I never had a friend like that. My parents were always paying for private lessons and I can be quiet and the other kids just assumed I was a snob, I guess.”

Louis held her breath because she knew she had a tendency to ramble and this was the most Harry had ever said to her.

“Then everyone went off to college and I was just skating all day. I know I’ve been kind of insufferable. It’s just…this is my last shot at the Olympics. I feel like I gave up so many normal experiences so I could be the best. But I’m already pushing being too old to be competitive. Everyone is counting me out and you were there. You were someone I could be angry at and I didn’t even realize why I was doing it.”

“I know what that’s like.”

“What?” Harry looked on the verge of tears.

“Being angry at someone who didn’t cause your problems. After my injury, I was angry at everyone. Niall literally had to yell at me in the middle of a family birthday and tell me I was being an ass before I realized what was happening.”

“Yeah. I guess no one really was willing to yell at me.”

“I tried my best.” Louis smiled hoping to ease Harry’s worry. 

“I’m sorry, I’ve been kind of an ass since we’ve been training together”

“Water under the bridge. Or under the ice.”   


“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Whatever, it’s time for a new start.” Louis stood up. “I’m going to teach you some hockey moves. Do you know how to play?”

“Shockingly, I have found more necessary things to do with my time than wack a black piece of rubber around.” 

“I thought we were being nice now.” 

“Not all the time. Where’s the fun in that?” Harry’s eye sparkled. 

They ran through moving with the puck which Harry picked up fairly fast. She was halfway decent as they played a game of keep away. The wind swirled the snow across the ice as the pair twirled around each other. Soon Louis was out of breath from the back and forth. Harry cheeks were tinged with a sweet pink that matched her hat. Louis was certain she was just red faced in a completely unattractive way. When she had played for Boston College, her teammates had joked her face matched her helmet.

They should slow down for a second. “Let’s work on shooting.”

Harry stood to watch Louis with rapt attention. It was a lot and Louis was certain her face was red now.

“So, it’s, um. It’s all about shifting the weight of your body.’ Louis could feel Harry’s eyes on here as she over exaggerated the motion of her hips.

“Hmm.” Harry sighed.

“When I’m taking a shot, I’m leaning on my back leg and I transfer my weight, moving the black little piece of rubber as I go, and end up being on my front leg.” Louis’s shot went wide of the goal probably because she’d glanced up at Harry as she made her joke about the puck. “Your turn.”

Harry did not take to shooting as quickly stick handling. The first couple times she missed entirely and just laughed.

The next few shots sailed over the net. “You’re scooping the puck.”

“Well how do I not do that?” Harry put a hand on her hips and pouted. Fuck, she actually pouted. 

“You need to use your core.” 

“That sounds like something my yoga instructor would say and I don’t know what it means when it comes to hockey. Help me, Louis.” 

Louis skated behind Harry and took a deep breath, may the cold air give her strength, and put a hand on Harry’s right hip. “Your weight is here.” She glided her palm across Harry’s waistband.    
“When you are following through, it should end up here.” Louis clasped Harry’s left hip for a moment. There were so many layers of winter clothing right up to the knit hat covering most of Harry’s ear as she whispered, “do you know what I mean?” 

It felt like wool and fleece were gone as Harry murmured, “mnnn,” in acquiescence. 

And then Harry’s phone began trilling rudely.

“Sorry.” She fumbled. “Fuck, I got to meet Sara and Mitch.” 

“What?”

“I’m really sorry, can we have another lesson? Or just get a drink. There’s this bar with boozy hot chocolate. It’s just they’re my best friends and they’re only in town for Christmas.”

“Boozy hot chocolate sounds nice.” But then Louis didn’t know quite what else to say with the moment broken.

They skate in silence to the bench and as they unlace their skates. Louis wonders what this promise of hot chocolate means.”

“Oh.” Harry exclaims as she pulls something from her bag. “I almost forgot I brought you a Christmas present. I know we didn’t talk about it but it’s just something I had that I wanted to give you.”

It may have been something Harry just had but as she handed it to Louis, she couldn’t help noticed that clearly Harry knew how to give gifts. The wrapping was green and dotted with sheep wearing Christmas sweaters. Which made Louis feel a little ridiculous when she pulled the gift she had for Harry out of her duffle bag. “I’m not really on top of holiday prep this year, can you open your’s first?” she said a little timidly as Harry accepted the parcel that was wrapped in a paper Trader Joe’s bag with a solitary red bow on top.

Harry’s fingers slipped under the tape and then she pulled out the hockey sweater. “It’s so soft!” She rubs her face against the fabric and Louis shivers. “Now your turn.”

Louis gingerly unwrapped the gift, she wanted to preserve the paper. “Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.”

“You were talking about liking crime novels. It’s not really my favorite genre but I thought you might like this one”

She could see the marks where Harry had dogeared and then unfolded some pages. She flipped open to a random one. 

Harry leans in to read the passage and there is no space between them. Except there is so much space. Harry is wearing the puffiest of jackets and Louis’ coat has a normal amount of insulation. They probably have at least seven layers of fabric between their shoulders but Louis’s body does seem to notice. 

“ _ But, here was a curious thing. The more I tried to give up thinking of her, the more I said to myself, 'She's nothing to you', the harder I tried to pluck the idea of her out of my heart, the more she stayed there. _ ” 

Louis could feel the air going out of her lungs as if she’d suddenly been shocked by icy air. She’d been on this cold pond the whole morning and she knows it’s a different kind of surprise. Maybe her body had been ignoring the cold just as she’d been ignoring her attraction to Harry and now it was all rushing in. 

Harry’s phone started buzzing again, “I’m really sorry I have to leave, Lou.” Harry stood up and now Louis just felt how cold the metal bench was. 

“Oh, no problem. Have a nice time with your friends.” 

She watched Harry crunch through the snow to her car trying to think of anything that would make it feel like the morning wasn’t ending so abruptly. Luckily, Harry was more on her toes with that as well. 

She hollered over the hood of her car, “Is tonight too soon to text you about drinks?” 

Louis smiled, “No, that’s perfect.”

“Okay, see ya tonight!” Harry grinned before ducking into her car and waving until she drove out of sight. 

Louis twirled as if she were still in her skates instead of her boots, her vision becoming a mix of green and white. She giddy lost her balance and tumbled to ice. She lay there thinking the snow was melting and seeping into her sweatpants and she could less. She wanted to have this moment a little longer.. She inhaled and thought she hadn’t been this happy on the ice in a long time. After months of heartbreak, the new year skating with Harry seemed like a fresh sheet of ice where they might just make some beautiful patterns. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the prompt. "Character A plays professional women’s ice hockey until an injury takes her out of it. When she’s healed, her family urges her to get back to skating somehow. Character B is the former pro figure skater whose attitude got her pushed out of the sport. When B gets hired as A’s coach, their personalities clash off the ice. On the ice? They’re a perfect match. The relationship grows from there. A fic inspired by “The Cutting Edge”
> 
> I had a much longer AU planned but in the end time caught up with me and forced me to whittle this down into a ficlet. In the end, I enjoyed the challenge of capturing things into a shorter story. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading. Huge thanks to Megan and Lauren for organizing this fest. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are like perfect holiday gifts.


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